Tic Tac - History

History

Tic Tacs were first introduced in 1969. Besides the original Fresh mint flavor, several new varieties were added including: cinnamon (or "Winter Warmer"), orange, and an orange and grape mix (in 1976), spearmint, peppermint, mandarin, wintergreen, orange and lime together (from 2005 to 2009), cherry, passion fruit (in 2007), pomegranate (in 2010), and lime. The grape flavor was eliminated in 1976 because of health concerns about the red dye amaranth (FD&C Red #2), a suspected carcinogen. Orange Tic Tacs were sold without the Grape.

Other innovations have included holiday gift packs for Christmas, Easter, St Patricks Day, and Valentine's Day.

Since 1980, the Tic Tac line has been "The 1½ Calorie Breath Mint." This has changed since the size of each individual piece was increased and the caloric value increased to 1.9 calories.

During the 1990s, "double packs" were introduced, featuring a regular Tic Tac container with two flavors inside. Available combinations included Tangerine and Lime, Orange and Grape, and Berry and Cherry.

In the UK, Ireland, Italy and Australia Tic Tacs are noted as being less than two kilocalories with the slogan "Two hours of Tic Tac freshness in less than two calories". In Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and used once in the United States, the Tic Tac slogan is "it's not just a mint, it's a tic tac". In India, the Tic Tac slogan is "Refreshment to be shared".

In 2006, Tic Tac introduced a "Bold" edition with more intense flavors of Mint and Fruit.

Orange Tic Tacs featured prominently in the 2007 film Juno, in an orange with white color candies as are sold in Canada. Film promoters distributed boxes of the candies prior to the film's release.

In 2008, Tic Tac introduced Tic Tac Chill, which are slightly larger than ordinary Tic Tacs and come in a dual-opening packaging, using the traditional living hinge or a sliding opening on the front of the case. These come in three flavors, Exotic Cherry, Berry Blast, and Paradise Mint. Tic Tac Chill mints are also sugar-free, the Exotic Cherry ones instead being sweetened with xylitol